Do you know: I am the crown prince

Chapter 520: The artillery has been built?
Under such circumstances, Xixia would not dare to easily use troops to guard against the Song Dynasty unless it had no other choice.

After all, the Song Dynasty had just launched a surprise attack not long ago, conquered the capital of Western Xia, and even abducted Queen Liang.

Western Xia had 400,000 to 500,000 soldiers and horses, but most of them were young and strong.

Apart from leaving behind 100,000 troops to guard against the Song Dynasty, only more than 300,000 could actually be mobilized.

The number of troops sent by Hehuang this time was only over 200,000, which seemed to be lower than that of Western Xia.

But Western Xia was on the defensive. After Hehuang captured Western Xia's border town, Western Xia now faced a situation where it had no strategic location to defend.

There were many cities that needed to be defended, and there was internal disunity in Western Xia, which allowed Hehuang to capture more than a dozen cities in a row.

Even in this situation, Western Xia did not dare to use troops to defend against the Song Dynasty.

This shows that Western Xia was wary of the Song Dynasty.

But it would be different if the Song Dynasty released Queen Liang.

The Song Dynasty was unwilling to release her before, but it did so now because it was obviously unable to intervene in the war between Western Xia and Hehuang, and did not want to see Hehuang annex Western Xia. So it released Queen Liang to stabilize the situation in Western Xia.

Even if the Tangut nobles of Western Xia would not think so, the Liang family would think so.

In other words, the Liang family itself was using this as a threat to force the Song Dynasty to release the people.

As long as the Song Dynasty does not want to see Hehuang annex Western Xia, it can only release them.

When Queen Liang returns to Western Xia and gains control of the situation to a certain extent, she will also mobilize troops defending the Song Dynasty to deal with Hehuang.

Before, Western Xia was defeated in the face of Hehuang. If Queen Liang returned, they could turn defeat into victory and also build momentum for Queen Liang.

This will be of great benefit to Empress Liang in completely controlling the situation in the Liao Kingdom.

At that time, as long as the Song Dynasty launched a surprise attack at a critical moment, it would be very likely to destroy Western Xia in one fell swoop.

Everyone present was smart, and as soon as Zhao Xing said it, they understood what he meant.

"His Majesty!"

Prime Minister Shen said solemnly, "Although the Northern Expedition was a victory for the Song Dynasty, it consumed a lot of manpower and material resources. In addition, the rebellion in the Central Plains requires a lot of money and food to resettle the people. The pressure on the court is still very great. If a war breaks out, once a natural disaster occurs, the court will be unable to provide disaster relief."

"Your Majesty, what Prime Minister Shen said makes sense. As the Art of War says, a great country will perish if it loves war. Your Majesty, please think twice!" said Prime Minister Han.

Zhao Xing said nothing and looked at Zeng Gongliang.

"Your Majesty, I also think that we should not send troops for the time being, and we should recuperate first." Zeng Gongliang said.

Zhao Xing fell silent after hearing this. He also knew that what the three people said made sense.

To resist foreign aggression, one must first stabilize the internal situation. This is both right and wrong.

However, given the current situation of the Song Dynasty, it is indeed necessary to maintain internal stability first.

Otherwise, once a natural disaster occurs and the court is unable to provide relief, it will cause a series of chain reactions.

But now is indeed a godsend opportunity to destroy Western Xia.

After a long silence, Zhao Xing gritted his teeth and said, "Now is a good opportunity to destroy Xixia. Once we miss it, when Liao recovers, the Song Dynasty will have to face the alliance of Liao and Xixia."

The Song Dynasty captured dozens of cities from the Liao Kingdom. If it did not destroy Western Xia at this time, the Liao Kingdom and Western Xia would inevitably unite after the Liao Kingdom recovered.

At that time, we will fall into a vicious circle.

But it would be different if the Western Xia could be destroyed. By annexing the Western Xia, the Song Dynasty could completely digest the Western Xia while the Liao Dynasty was recuperating.

"Your Majesty, I agree that now is a good time to destroy Xixia. But no one can predict the outcome of a war. And even if the Liao Kingdom is seriously injured, it will not allow the Song Dynasty to annex Xixia."

"Unless we can quickly destroy Xixia, the Song Dynasty will be mired in war. At that time, it will not be possible for the Song Dynasty to stop the war just because it wants to."

"A single move can affect the entire body. If this is delayed for too long, any internal problems will arise and the Song Dynasty will be in danger!" Prime Minister Shen said earnestly.

He believed that Zhao Xing was just taking a gamble, and there was indeed a chance of destroying Western Xia.

Not to mention whether it can be done, even if it can be successful, how long will it take to destroy Western Xia?

Unless Western Xia can be quickly destroyed, it will be very disadvantageous to the Song Dynasty regardless of whether the Liao Kingdom intervenes or not.

Zhao Xing frowned when he heard this. He really wanted to give it a try, but looking at the expressions of Han Zhang and the others, they seemed to disagree with this.

Although he could send troops by force, if he really did so, the news would be impossible to conceal.

He originally wanted to convince Han Zhang and the other two. As long as they agreed, he could skip the court process, thus ensuring that Xixia would not notice.

But the concerns of Han Zhang and the other two were real. Even Zhao Xing himself was not very confident that he could quickly destroy Western Xia.

Just then, a eunuch walked in from the side door.

When Sanshui saw this, he quickly got off the platform and walked over.

The eunuch leaned close to Sanshui's ear and whispered something. Sanshui waved his hand, came to Zhao Xing's side, leaned close to Zhao Xing's ear and said, "Your Majesty, the Firearms Department sent someone to report that the cannon has been built and has been tested!"

"what?"

Zhao Xing exclaimed when he heard this: "Is it really made?"

Han Zhang and the other two rarely saw Zhao Xing lose his composure like this, but Zhao Xing's face was full of joy, so it shouldn't be a bad thing.

"Your Majesty, this is what the person sent by Cao's envoy said." Sanshui said.

Zhao Xing took a deep breath, waved his hand to let Sanshui leave, looked at Han Zhang and the other two and said, "I have to go to the Firearms Department, please follow me, my three beloved ministers."

"Yes!" The three were confused, but they couldn't refuse.

Zhao Xing immediately ordered someone to prepare a carriage, and took Han Zhang and the other two out of the city to the Firearms Department.

For safety reasons, Zhao Xing moved the Firearms Department a hundred miles away from Bian Jing.

It is safe, but it is inconvenient to travel back and forth.

Han Zhang and the other two were riding in a carriage, and no one spoke.

Shen Xianggong was the first to break the silence and said, "Your Majesty wants to launch a surprise attack while Hehuang and Xixia are at war. He was so happy when he just heard the news and asked us to accompany him. It should be related to sending troops to Xixia. I know a little about the Firearms Department. It seems to be researching some firearms. In name, it is under the jurisdiction of the Military Equipment Supervision, but in fact it is directly under the jurisdiction of Your Majesty. I really don't know what news made Your Majesty so happy!"

"I don't know much about the Firearms Department." Han Zhang shook his head slightly.

"I do have some understanding of it," Zeng Gongliang said.

Seeing Han Zhang and Shen Xianggong looking over, Zeng Gongliang said, "During the previous war with the Liao Kingdom, the army used a weapon called a fire lance. The fire lance is driven by gunpowder and can spray dozens of broken stones at a time. These stones cannot be compared with bows and crossbows in terms of power and accuracy."

"But the range of the musket is almost the same as that of the arrow, or even slightly longer. It is almost useless against heavy armor, but it is quite powerful against light armor. That time on the battlefield, tens of thousands of muskets fired at the same time, and the lethality was enormous."

"There is such a magical thing?" Han Zhang asked in surprise.

Compared to Prime Minister Shen, he had led troops several times.

Although Zeng Gongliang said that the accuracy and power cannot be compared with bows and crossbows, it can only be used against light armor.

But even in the Song Dynasty, there were not many heavily armored soldiers.

Maintaining heavy armor is too expensive, and heavy armor is too heavy for ordinary soldiers to afford.

It takes a strong person to bear the weight of heavy armor and be able to fight on the battlefield.

In order to allow the heavily armored soldiers to maintain their physical strength, their food treatment is also very good.

Maintaining heavily armored soldiers is not much different from maintaining cavalry.

But the most important thing for cavalry is war horses, and you can always find them as long as you are willing to spend money.

However, soldiers who can wear heavy armor are extremely rare.

What's more, the existence of heavy armor is to defend against bows and crossbows. In other words, the damage caused by bows and crossbows to heavy armor is minimal.

Are the poor accuracy and lack of lethality of the musket a defect?

The accuracy of archers on the battlefield is actually just that, and they rely on quantity to win.

The musket fully meets this requirement, and the lethality is not a problem at all.

Directly killing enemy soldiers on the battlefield may not be more effective than injuring them.

When soldiers are injured, they not only need medical treatment, but also need food.

There were actually not many soldiers who died on the battlefield. Most of them died from injuries that could not be treated.

Medical conditions in ancient times were backward and there was almost no hope of recovery if there was even a slight infection.

But even though he knew the situation, he had to rescue him, otherwise what would the other soldiers think?
Killing is more devastating to the enemy than wounding.

Therefore, in Han Zhang's eyes, all the shortcomings of the musket are advantages.

"Your Majesty said before that it has been invented. Doesn't that mean that the Firearms Department has invented something similar to the musket?"

Prime Minister Shen had never led troops before. Although he had read some military books, he only knew military knowledge on paper and naturally did not understand the significance of the musket.

However, when he saw that Han Zhang also praised the musket, he also understood that the musket was very useful.

If something similar to the musket could appear again, it would be a good thing for the Song Dynasty.

"I don't know either." Zeng Gongliang shook his head.

Zhao Xing didn't know what the three were talking about, and he was very excited at the moment.

He had not originally thought of making a cannon, but just wanted to give it a try, so he told Chen Kui the theory of cannon and the clay modeling method.

Unexpectedly, Chen Kui actually cast the cannon.

Although he had not seen the artillery yet, since Cao Mian had reported it, it must have been tested.

Otherwise Cao Mian would not report it so easily.

…………

Firearms Department

"Master Chen, although the range of the cannon is much longer than that of the catapult, its power is not as strong as that of the catapult. Moreover, the cost of casting the cannon is too high, and iron eggs are required. If this is the case, His Majesty may not be satisfied, and we need to make further improvements."

Cao Mian was discussing the artillery issue with Chen Kui.

The reason why he did not report it in person but sent someone to report it was entirely because he was not satisfied with the power of the artillery.

Because bronze was used to cast the cannon, the cost was very high, and solid bullets were used.

When Chen Kui was studying artillery, the caliber of the cannon he cast was not large.

In this way, although the range of the artillery is three times that of the catapult, its power is still not as great as that of the catapult.

As for the cost, the cost of casting one cannon could build more than a dozen catapults.

In Cao Mian's opinion, it would be more useful to build a catapult.

When attacking a city, it is obvious which one is more deterrent: ten cannons or dozens of catapults.

Although artillery has the advantage of range, in this era, few things can threaten the range of the trebuchet.

The important thing is that catapults are cheap. Even if a few are damaged, the cost is still cheaper than the iron eggs shot out by cannons.

Therefore, in Cao Mian's eyes, artillery is of little use, and Zhao Xing will not be satisfied either.

He had no idea that Zhao Xing had never seen the people he sent and rushed here as soon as he heard the news.

"Sir, I understand what you said. Theoretically, we can build a cannon with a thicker barrel, which will greatly increase its power." Chen Kui said.

"But if we do that, the cost will also increase greatly." Cao Mian frowned.

The iron eggs used in artillery can hardly be used again once they are fired during a siege.

Because when the iron egg falls to the ground, the violent collision will cause it to be damaged.

In this case, it can only be melted and recast.

He was an official and a military commander. Although he was in charge of the Firearms Department, his approach to issues was very different from that of a craftsman like Chen Kui.

Chen Kui only thought about casting the things and didn't consider the cost at all.

But Cao Mian had to consider it.

Chen Kui frowned slightly when he heard this. The cost problem has no solution.

He wanted it to be powerful and at the same time increase the cost, but he really couldn't do it.

Just when Chen Kui was about to say something, a soldier hurried in and saluted, saying, "Your Excellency, a team of imperial guards just came to report that His Majesty is on the way."

"what?"

Cao Mian was stunned when he heard this, then he came to his senses and quickly ordered, "Go and tell the soldiers to be on guard!"

"Yes!" The soldier who reported the news saluted and retreated.

"Master Chen, His Majesty must have come here for the artillery. When His Majesty looks at the artillery later, you must make sure that there are no problems with the artillery!" Cao Mian said.

In his opinion, the power of the artillery is not good enough and cannot be changed for the time being, but there cannot be any problems with the artillery.

Otherwise, not only would the artillery be ineffective, but Zhao Xing would have come all the way to see the artillery and it also malfunctioned. How would he explain that?

"I see!"

Chen Kui quickly said: "I'll go check the artillery!"

"Go!" Cao Mian nodded.

After Cao Mian arranged the matters of the Firearms Department, he led his men to the door of the Firearms Department and waited there.

After waiting for half an hour, I saw from afar a large group of imperial guards escorting two carriages coming towards this side.

When the carriage came close and stopped, Zhao Xing got out of the carriage, and Cao Mian hurried forward to salute and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!"

"No gift!"

Zhao Xing smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Thank you for your hard work in making the cannon in such a short time. I will reward you later!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, but this is all thanks to Master Chen. And..."

Just as Cao Mian was about to tell Zhao Xing about the shortcomings of the artillery, Han Zhang and the other two got off the carriage, walked over and bowed.

"His Majesty!"

Zhao Xing waved his hand, looked at Cao Mian and asked, "What did you just say?"

"Your Majesty..." Cao Mian repeated the defects of the artillery.

"Take me to see it first."

Zhao Xing didn't care at all after hearing this. Cannons with solid bullets can not only be used for attacking and defending cities.

The most important thing is to use it in head-on combat.

The range of catapults and crossbows is limited, but the same cannot be said for artillery.

According to Cao Mian, the range of the cannon produced this time is three times that of the catapult.

The range of today's catapults is about four to five hundred meters, while the range of artillery is about one thousand five hundred meters.

The artillery uses round iron eggs that roll after landing.

After the stone thrown by the catapult hits the ground, even if it rolls, it can't roll very far.

It can be imagined that on the battlefield, the enemy formed a battle formation and rushed over.

The artillery can hit the enemy from a long distance, and after landing, it will roll for a while and destroy the enemy's battle formation.

(End of this chapter)